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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32989
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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raoul mitgong
Samba Member
Joined: July 05, 2009
Posts: 1340
Location: Denver, CO
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 Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 3:53 pm Post subject: |
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| My laugh came at the fact there seems to be a regular need to push start the van. So much so that a custom wood laminated bumper is in the works. |
I know, right?!!!
Makes me wonder how he treats other's doors when perpendicular parking.
_________________
84 Westy with a 2.1 (Groover)
86 Tintop Syncro (Crow)
86 Tintop Syncro to Westy project (Tom Servo)
91 Westy (Only the top 12 inches of this van (a burn victim)) |
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dhaavers
Samba Member
Joined: March 19, 2010
Posts: 8411
Location: NE MN (tinyurl.com/dhaaverslocation)
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| Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 2:47 pm Post subject: |
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A lot of guys would just park facing downhill...
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86 White Wolfsburg Westy Weekender
"The WonderVan"
<EDITED TO PROTECT INNOCENT PIXELS> |
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veloandy
Samba Member
Joined: December 04, 2010
Posts: 362
Location: Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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| Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 2:30 pm Post subject: |
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Can someone explain the relationship between the bumper and push starting?
Every time I've push started a manual car/van, the push has come from my hands on the A pillar and/or helpers hands on the rear corners...but I drive manual transmissions.
No way would I opt to push start my car with another vehicle shoving the back bumper when I could just push on the A pillar with my hands instead.
I've heard that it's possible to push start an auto trans if you get up to around 30...but I'd have to be pretty desperate to give that a try...and I'd think a tow rope pulling the non-starting vehicle would be a lot less crazy than a bumper push up to 30.
As an aside, my friend's uncle had an auto-transmission truck with a starting issue. He asked a lady in a truck at a gas station to push him up to 30 so he could push start it. She asked "are you sure it will be OK? Really??", he said it would be fine. The lady got in her truck and drove off. He thought she must have not been interested in helping that much until he looked in the rear view mirror and saw her barreling toward him at 35MPH. She rear ended him and totaled both trucks.
Moral of the story: Drive a manual transmission, and just push on the A pillar with your hands if you ever need to push start your rig. |
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PDXWesty
Samba Member
Joined: April 11, 2006
Posts: 6344
Location: Portland OR
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| Posted: Fri Dec 05, 2014 9:31 am Post subject: |
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My laugh came at the fact there seems to be a regular need to push start the van. So much so that a custom wood laminated bumper is in the works. As suggested, seems a backwards fix for a relitively easy problem. The hidden receiver hitch looks like the best soluition really.
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89 Westy 2.1 Auto |
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raoul mitgong
Samba Member
Joined: July 05, 2009
Posts: 1340
Location: Denver, CO
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 9:31 pm Post subject: |
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| The ball also means I can't do a bumper-contact when parallel parking in a tight space |
Get some of those big foam back rollers, duct tape them onto your bumpers, and while you're at it, get a t-shirt and some bumper stickers that say "I'm a dick" on them to save us some time.
I am laughing so f'in hard at this thread... thank you, that wa s so good, so good. Pretzels every where. So good.
-d
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84 Westy with a 2.1 (Groover)
86 Tintop Syncro (Crow)
86 Tintop Syncro to Westy project (Tom Servo)
91 Westy (Only the top 12 inches of this van (a burn victim)) |
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?Waldo?
Samba Member
Joined: February 22, 2006
Posts: 10021
Location: Where?
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| Posted: Thu Dec 04, 2014 5:41 pm Post subject: |
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Unbelievable.
I think that parking your vehicle by touch is risky business regardless of how 'skilled' you are. I think quite a few individuals that you might park next to, find it exactly as acceptable as parking their fist next to your face... by touch. At some point, if you continue such abominably crude, rude and disrespectful behavior, I have no doubt that you will eventually meet one of those people. Good luck when that happens... Instead of modifying your van, I'd recommend putting your efforts into modifying your behavior. |
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djkeev
Samba Moderator
Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32989
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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pinetreeporsche
Samba Member
Joined: June 11, 2009
Posts: 752
Location: Falls Church, VA
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 8:31 pm Post subject: |
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Despite the critiques, two items require comment: 1) I've had 7 vans since a Splitty over 40 years ago-- that one a 40-horse I drove from Boston to Guatemala and back, in June-July yet! Once in a while it's useful to be able to get a push-- a broken wire, dead battery (northern winter), etc. And I give them to others too, as often as I've gotten them, most recently in early October. 2) And about the parking: in vans w/o a ball, or with my other cars, I often enough get into spaces less than a foot longer than my car. Can't do that without touching the bumpers fore or aft; it's a useful skill in a big city. And I haven't set off anyone's alarms, so far.
But thanks to those who had the useful suggestions-- I'll consult my Vanagon supplier(s), maybe change the hitch. -pinetree |
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PDXWesty
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Joined: April 11, 2006
Posts: 6344
Location: Portland OR
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 10:42 am Post subject: |
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It's questions like that that keep the internet interesting...
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89 Westy 2.1 Auto |
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djkeev
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Joined: September 30, 2007
Posts: 32989
Location: Reading Pennsylvania
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quickjetta2
Samba Member
Joined: September 18, 2005
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 10:35 am Post subject: |
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You should mount a receiver hitch on the van and keep your hitch/ with ball under the back seat of the van unless your towing. Having a permanent ball on the back of your van is the European way of doing it. I believe its not legal to have the receiver with ball in your hitch unless your actually towing, even though people do it all the time. Also you should never bump start a Vanagon, it puts too much strain on the trans case and can break the nose, this mainly applies to Syncros but Im sure it could happen on a 2wd too. Hope this helps!
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BlueGrasser
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Joined: August 27, 2014
Posts: 562
Location: Sacramento
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 10:13 am Post subject: |
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| alaskadan wrote: |
| Whats with this parking by feel? I be a little miffed if i saw someone doing that to my rig. |
x2! 
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Going to where the grass is bluer...
1985 Vanagon Westfalia Camper with 1.8T |
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Randy in Maine
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Joined: August 03, 2003
Posts: 34890
Location: The Beach
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 9:03 am Post subject: |
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Just about everyone that lives in metro Boston has no idea how to parallel park a car. Of course they can still get a driver's license at Sears.
Where I learned how to drive it was part of th edriver's test.
Everyone down there has these....
http://www.bumperbully.com/ |
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danfromsyr
Samba Member
Joined: March 01, 2004
Posts: 15367
Location: Syracuse, NY
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 8:59 am Post subject: |
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hmm now where have I seen dock bumpers on a vanagon before?
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| Abscate wrote: |
| These are the reasons we have words like โwankerโ |
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Abscate 
Samba Member
Joined: October 05, 2014
Posts: 23895
Location: NYC/Upstate/ROW
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 8:41 am Post subject: |
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| alaskadan wrote: |
I can only imagine all the car alarms  |
It's upstate NY. We don't have car alarms.
😄
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๐บ๐ธ ๐บ๐ธ ๐บ๐ธ ๐บ๐ธ ๐บ๐ธ ๐บ๐ธ ๐บ๐ธ ๐ ๐ ๐ |
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alaskadan
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Joined: January 09, 2013
Posts: 1937
Location: anchor pt. alaska
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 8:26 am Post subject: |
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| Ok in an effort to save your neighbors bumpers..... you might try going to a marine supply store and look at dock bumpers. They have ones that mount to the sides of a dock in your boat slip. A few colors available, bolts on through tabs on ends, sure ive seen them 3 to 4 inches tall\thick you could mount one either side of your hitch. Less work and would actually offer some cushion vs laminated hardwood. |
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alaskadan
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Joined: January 09, 2013
Posts: 1937
Location: anchor pt. alaska
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 8:19 am Post subject: |
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| I can only imagine all the car alarms |
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danfromsyr
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Joined: March 01, 2004
Posts: 15367
Location: Syracuse, NY
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 7:36 am Post subject: |
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it's the taught norm for east coast drivers.. streets are tight and bumpers are to bump right?
I don't understand it either but I work on a college campus with alot of CT,MA,NJ,LI,NYC students just got their new carrs last year.. many can't see over the hoods and less know where their corners are.
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| Abscate wrote: |
| These are the reasons we have words like โwankerโ |
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alaskadan
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Joined: January 09, 2013
Posts: 1937
Location: anchor pt. alaska
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| Posted: Wed Dec 03, 2014 7:31 am Post subject: |
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| Whats with this parking by feel? I be a little miffed if i saw someone doing that to my rig. |
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